AFC Bournemouth have seen their offer for 25-year-old Leganes defender accepted, beating off competition from Borussia Dortmund who made a last minute bid for the Spaniard.
BBC Sport has reported that the Cherries will pay £10.7m, with the player joining on a four-year contract under manager Eddie Howe. Diego Rico is expected to arrive in the UK within the next 24 hours to agree to personal terms and undergo a medical before officially signing on.
✅🍒 Bournemouth have agreed a £10m fee with Leganes for full-back Diego Rico.
— TheSportsman Transfers (@TSMTransfers) July 24, 2018
Dortmund were also interested in the player but he chose The Cherries instead.
You won't hear that everyday! #AFCB pic.twitter.com/wMT5rl1KxU
Howe will be delighted that he managed to secure the left-back despite Bundesliga interest, as Rico reportedly preferred a move to the Premier League. Having made 51 appearances in La Liga with Leganes, Rico posted the highest number of interceptions per game (2.9) in the league last season.
Diego Rico: Made more interceptions per game (2.9) than any other player in La Liga last season
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) July 24, 2018
For more player stats -- https://t.co/rNsA7GuNjO pic.twitter.com/MZlmQp8RL0
Los Pepineros finished 14 points ahead of relegation, with Rico playing a key role in the club's success. He's a gifted crosser with a knack for blocking the ball, although he needs to improve his passing game and ball handling.
It will be interesting to see how Rico will make the change from the largely technical La Liga to the much more aggressive Premier League, and whether he can make the difference for Bournemouth as they seek to better last season's 12th place finish.
Rico will be Bournemouth's second transfer of the summer, after signing David Brooks from Sheffield United.
